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Vitamin D And Fish Oil Supplements Disappoint In Long-Awaited Study Results
Many people routinely take nutritional supplements such as vitamin D and fish oil in the hopes of staving off major killers like cancer and heart disease.
But the evidence about the possible benefits of the supplements has been mixed.
Now, long-awaited government-funded research has produced some of the clearest evidence yet about the usefulness of taking the supplements. And the results — published in two papers — are disappointing.
"Both trials were negative," says Dr. Lawrence Fine, chief of the clinical application and prevention branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the studies.
"Overall, they showed that neither fish oil nor vitamin D actually lowered the incidence of heart disease or cancer," Fine says.
The results were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago and released online Saturday by the New England Journal of Medicine. One paper focused on vitamin D supplementation and the other focused on fish oil.
The trials involved nearly 26,000 healthy adults age 50 and older with no history of cancer or heart disease who took part in the VITAL research project. Twenty percent of the participants were African-American.
Some of the participants took either 1 gram of fish oil — which contains omega-3 fatty acids — plus 2,000 international units of vitamin D daily. Others consumed the same dose of vitamin D plus a placebo, while others ingested the same dose of fish oil plus a placebo. The last group took two placebos. After more than five years, researchers were unable to find any overall benefit.
While the overall results were disappointing, there appeared to be a beneficial effect when it came to one aspect of heart disease and fish oil: heart attacks.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Monday November 12 2018, @09:42AM (2 children)
They called me a Tyrant. They said I'm "unfit to be the ruler of a free people." And now they're saying, "oh, Heart Attacks are very beneficial." Sounds crazy, they're not crazy. They're the enemy of the American People. Defund!!!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @12:34AM (1 child)
First of all, fuckwit, in America we don't have "rulers". We have elected representatives. There is a big difference between those two things. Learn that difference.
What the hell are you gibbering about? Maybe you could give us a citation. Or, better yet, just shut the hell up.
I just can't wait for November 2020!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @07:01AM
Exactly! Time for Hillary as president in 2020. It's #HerTurn.
(Score: 4, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday November 12 2018, @11:28AM (9 children)
Who the hell oils their fish anyway? A little cornmeal, salt, and pepper is all you need.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Funny) by driverless on Monday November 12 2018, @11:51AM (3 children)
I do, I spray it in WD-40 so it doesn't stick to the pan when I'm frying it. Also gives the fish a lovely flavour.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday November 12 2018, @12:05PM (2 children)
Certainly a manly flavor. I prefer it as cologne though.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 12 2018, @02:54PM (1 child)
Wow. And I thought the purpose of WD-40 was a flamethrower in a can.
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(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday November 12 2018, @03:10PM
It's almost as multi-purpose as duct tape. It'll even catch you more fish if you spray a bit on your crappie jigs. Weird but true.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday November 12 2018, @02:55PM (3 children)
I guess that makes sardines, tuna, trout, and mackerel self-lubricating fishes?
And there's ALWAYS time for lubricant! [youtu.be]
This sig for rent.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday November 12 2018, @03:12PM (1 child)
My hair gets greasy if I don't wash it too but that doesn't mean I'm going to go putting oil on it on purpose. Well, maybe if I'm wearing my leather jacket and getting my 50s on.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Informative) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday November 12 2018, @04:43PM
I've been told it's the word. Also, it has groove, meaning, is the time, place, motion, and the way we're feeling.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Monday November 12 2018, @08:58PM
Of course they're self-lubricating. Have you seen a rusty fish? Or heard one squeak?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @02:15AM
> Who the hell oils their fish anyway? A little cornmeal, salt, and pepper is all you need.
We use Lea & Perrins Worcestershire on steelhead trout and salmon. Lay fish on aluminum foil, sprinkle all over, wrap up the foil to keep moisture in, bake in oven. Mmmmmm!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by VLM on Monday November 12 2018, @12:33PM (2 children)
1) Fish oil industry exists because you can't aquaculture salmon in pens without supplementation of fish oil, and why not divert a small amount of the oil stream to humans if possible at a higher profit cause why not? The surplus is enough for supplements but not enough to fry french fries and tendies in at restaurants (or make biodiesel out of). Just saying there's economic reasons fish oil supplements for humans will never go away regardless of medical need.
2) I'm kinda surprised at the details in that it takes 40 years of abuse to kill a heart so treatment after age 50 is much like the life long cig smokers I see at the gym trying to make up for half a century of smoking by 15 minutes on the treadmill a couple times until they give up. Or, once I'm a senior citizen I'm thinking of trying tobacco or even the devil's lettuce because if I'm gonna die in 20 years regardless and lung cancer would take 50 years to kill me, I think it'll be OK. I'm just saying the proposed fix that fish oil supposedly applies to was not tested. Clearly its not a magic potion, but I was under the impression (by people selling the stuff) that it was never a magic potion but if you take a pill for 70 years then you'll be much less likely to eventually die over an entire lifetime.
I guess the best SN automobile analogy would be advertising that synthetic oils make engines last longer because of better lubricity at cold starts, so supplement the entire life of an engine, from new to scrap, with synthetic oils and it'll last longer on average. Then "disproving it" by using it for a relatively short time in several heavily worn 200K+ mile cars that already have ruined piston rings, and then pointing out that there's no overall difference in outcome so obviously using it for 15 winters in a snowblower could never have any effect.
Or rephrased, five years of repair work, at least the repair work fish oil is capable of, can't fix 50+ years of abuse. Of course maybe it can't do repair work and all and only slightly prevents future damage...
I would say its an accurate study in that it seems to prove no acute effects of fish oil; if you have a heart attack and don't want another, its already too late to take a magic fish oil pill and be cured, don't bother. Or its not a replacement for clot dissolving heart attack meds. But I think they already knew that?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @01:51PM
Please do. You may note that cancer is not the most important problem when it comes to smoking and quality of life issues. YYMV.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday November 12 2018, @03:16PM
And you might find that it will take considerably less than 50 years for cancer to take hold in any event, but also fail to consider that as one ages one's ability to develop cancer is significantly more as well because aging, plus one didn't expose oneself back when the body was able to better learn how to mount defenses. And you might live to 120. In any event, quitting smoking after a heart attack [heartfoundation.org.nz] has been shown to have beneficial effect.
It wouldn't surprise me to someday find science either tells us there are hidden subfactors (i.e. why the fish oil helps after a heart attack but apparently not before), or that the commitment to fish oil and other supplements isn't a magic pill but since the mind has determined to engage in what it believes is healthier behaviors that the body responds with its' own actions which improve health. An expectation effect [cancer.org] which actually triggers change, perhaps. (Or perhaps not....)
This sig for rent.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @12:56PM (4 children)
Why didnt they do a dose response? Its not like they were low on subjects and 1g of fish oil is less than the recommended dose.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Monday November 12 2018, @03:03PM (3 children)
I take 6g per day, for the last 20 years. As I read TFA, I was thinking of giving it up until I read:
and
Hey, that's more than enough reason for me to just keep taking it as part of my routine.
Even more good news. I don't like seafood. But lots of Taco Johns or Taco Bellyache.
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(Score: 2) by richtopia on Monday November 12 2018, @05:11PM (2 children)
Yea, a significant decrease in heart attacks is nothing to be scoffed at. It looks like Vitamin D did nothing, but fish oil seems like an easy supplement to keep in your diet.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Monday November 12 2018, @05:25PM (1 child)
IIUC Vitamin D is more associated with bone health. Why they tested those particular diseases against those particular regimens at those particular doses is a bit of a mystery to me, but if it gets properly indexed and is replicable it's still useful information.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @05:44PM
i've been taking supplements of various kinds for 15 yrs(?) or so and i don't remember hearing that vitamin d or fish oil is supposed to help protect against cancer or heart problems, at least not as the main point of those supplements. i take d3 to help with the immune system, especially during winter and i've taken fish oil for brain health. this study sounds like anti supplement propaganda. like they want to report something negative so they test against unrelated shit. i bet my milk thistle doesn't help my appendix either...
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday November 12 2018, @05:54PM (2 children)
1 gram of fish oil. there are 4-6 grams of fish oil in the average can of water packed tuna.
2000 IU of vitamin D.You get the same amount of vitamin D if you get 20-30 minutes of sun 3 times a week.
All the other studies I've ever heard of that showed a benefit had much higher doses involved so I'm going to take this recent study with a very large pinch of salt.
my .$02
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Monday November 12 2018, @09:05PM
You get the same amount of vitamin D if you get 20-30 minutes of sun 3 times a week.
I live in the UK - I would drink several international units of whisky in the unlikely event of 20-30 minutes of Sun 3 times a week.
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 1) by Stardaemon on Tuesday November 13 2018, @02:11PM
Depends on how high in the sky the sun is.
If you are far north or far south, you will not be able to get enough sunlight for vitamin D synthesis during the dark part of the year.
In Sweden for instance, you pretty much need supplements from end of September to late April in order to not get a deficiency.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @07:17PM
I thought the "disappointment" was going to be that these supplements actually work and that I'd have to start taking them. Fishy burps, yuck!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 12 2018, @07:23PM (1 child)
For health, you've got to consistently eat a healthy diet.
You can't "fix it" with supplements because other factors in the healthy food act together with the "known active ingredient". Eating fish is better than a fish oil pill.
Real food beats prepared convenience food. And eat your salad. ;-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 13 2018, @04:47PM
This may or may not be true, but this is, of course, pure speculation. It just sounds "right" and jibes with that Puritan work ethic of "there are no shortcuts".